Singapore will review the penalty framework for violent offences and the extent to which the offender’s educational background, and other factors, are relevant to the punishment, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said on Tuesday (July 21).
His comments, made during a media briefing via a video conference, came in the midst of widespread criticism of a court's sentencing outcome for Yin Zi Qin. The 23-year-old dentistry student from the National University of Singapore (NUS) was convicted of voluntarily causing hurt to an ex-girlfriend, 21.
Last Friday, Yin was handed a 12-day short-detention order, a five-month day-reporting order, as well as 80 hours of community service. He will not have a criminal record if the sentence is successfully completed. One charge of criminal trespass was taken into consideration for his sentencing. Yin tried to choke his victim after she rejected his proposal to resume their relationship, and at one point pressed his thumb into her eye so hard it bled.
read more
NUS student admits climbing into ex-girlfriend's home, choking her
A National University of Singapore (NUS) student climbed into his ex-girlfriend's home with her, before giving her roses and begging her not to end their relationship.
When she turned him down, 23-year-old Yin Zi Qin choked her and pressed his thumb against her eye till it bled.
Yin pleaded guilty on Friday (Feb 21) to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt, with another charge of criminal trespass taken into consideration.
related: NUS dentistry student, who choked ex-girlfriend, suspended and barred from campus pending disciplinary proceedings
read more
AGC not appealing case involving NUS dentistry student whose sentence triggered public outcry
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said on Tuesday (July 21) in response to media queries that it will not appeal the case involving dentistry student Yin Zi Qin, whose sentence had triggered a public outcry and a review of the penalty framework for violent cases.
Yin, 23, from the National University of Singapore (NUS), was convicted of voluntarily causing hurt to an ex-girlfriend, 21. Last Friday, he was handed a 12-day short-detention order, a five-month day-reporting order, as well as 80 hours of community service. He will not have a criminal record if the sentence is successfully completed.
“AGC will not be appealing the matter,” a spokesperson said. On Tuesday, the People’s Action Party’s Women’s Wing and the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) spoke out against the levity of the sentence. There have also been two online petitions related to the case.
read more
Singapore reviews penalties after outcry over sentencing of NUS student in strangling case
Singapore authorities on Tuesday pledged to review sentencing guidelines for cases involving violence against women, following a public outcry over the relatively light sentence meted out to an undergraduate who attempted to strangle his girlfriend last year.
In a rare rebuke of a court ruling by the establishment, female MPs from the long-ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) issued a statement expressing dismay over a sentence they described as “disproportionate to the offence” committed by 23-year-old dentistry student Yin Zi Qin.
The latest disquiet follows similar criticism in recent times over the perception that university undergraduates – as opposed to others with lesser academic qualifications – are given lighter sentences in cases involving violence against women. In a Facebook post, influential law and home minister K. Shanmugam said he had asked the home affairs ministry to conduct a review of sentences in such cases.
read more
K Shanmugam Sc Yesterday at 01:35
[Assault case]
Many have written to me to express disappointment that Mr Yin Zi Qin was sentenced to a Short Detention Order for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. Women MPs have also spoken to me.
I can understand their unhappiness.
Mr Yin could have faced up to 2 years imprisonment for his offence. The penalties for the offence can be stiff. In fact, we recently amended the Penal Code so that the maximum penalty for hurt cases is increased to 3 years for cases which occur on or after 1 January 2020. Nevertheless, in specific cases, (like here), much shorter sentences have been given, depending on the factors present.
read more
MHA to review penalty framework for cases such as one involving dentistry student, says Shanmugam
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be reviewing several areas of the penalty framework for certain criminal cases including the relevance of an offender’s background in sentencing, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Tuesday (21 July).
The announcement comes after a public outcry over the sentencing of a dental student from the National University of Singapore (NUS) who choked and thumbed the eye of an ex-girlfriend when she wanted to break up with him. Yin Zi Qin was sentenced by a court last Friday to a short detention order of 12 days, community service of 80 hours and a day reporting order for five months.
In a Facebook post, Shanmugam said the ruling of the court should be respected, adding that what is needed is a review of the legal framework. When the review is completed, Shanmugam said he will present it in Parliament. The MHA will conduct a review in three areas: the penalties applicable to such cases, the background of an offender and other factors and the extent of their relevance in sentencing, and the relative punishments for different offences.
read more
Anger in Singapore over punishment for woman's attacker
A Singapore court's decision to put a student who assaulted his ex-girlfriend behind bars for just 12 days sparked an outcry Tuesday, with campaigners condemning a series of light punishments for women's attackers.
It was the latest case of a university student in the city-state targeting a woman and then being handed a punishment that critics viewed as inadequate. During the vicious assault, Yin Zi Qin tried to strangle his ex-girlfriend until she blacked out at her home in May last year after failing to convince the 21-year-old to reconsider ending their relationship, according to court documents.
After pleading guilty to voluntarily causing hurt, the 23-year-old dentistry student at the National University of Singapore (NUS), was sentenced Friday to a "short detention order", which will see him spend 12 days in prison but means he will not have a criminal record. He was also handed 80 hours of community service, ordered to report regularly to authorities for five months, and undergo rehabilitation. He could have faced a maximum two years in jail.
read more
NUS student's case sparks MHA review of penalty framework
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be reviewing the legal policy framework for certain criminal offences, including the relevance of factors such as an offender's educational background in sentencing, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday.
He was speaking to the media amid a public backlash over the penalties given to National University of Singapore (NUS) dentistry student Yin Zi Qin, 23, who tried to strangle his girlfriend after she broke up with him. He also pressed his thumb against her eye, causing it to bleed. It led to an eye infection that took five months to resolve, but she had no permanent injuries.
Yin was given a community-based sentence with no criminal record. It includes a short detention order of 12 days, which he will serve in prison. The outcome sparked outrage online. There are at least two petitions with over 15,000 signatories, each calling for harsher penalties and Yin to be expelled.
read more
Penalty framework to be reviewed following sentencing of NUS student who strangled ex-girlfriend
Public outrage at an NUS student who strangled his ex-girlfriend receiving community-based sentences has prompted a review of penalties for similar cases to be conducted. Much controversy has emerged over the recent sentencing of National University of Singapore (NUS) student Yin Zi Qin, who strangled his ex-girlfriend.
On Jul 17, the 23-year-old was sentenced to a Short Detention Order of 12 days, a day reporting order for five months, and 80 hours of community service after he was convicted for voluntarily causing hurt to his ex-girlfriend. The second-year dentistry student had strangled and pressed his thumb against the victim's left eye, causing it to bleed, after she refused to continue their relationship. She fainted and was later sent to the hospital for treatment.
Many have expressed that his sentence was too lenient for the severity of his offence. For voluntarily causing hurt, Zi Qin could have been fined a maximum of $5,000, and jailed for up to two years, or both. Two online petitions calling for harsher penalties for Zi Qin, who has since been suspended from NUS, have garnered over 29,000 signatures in total as of Jul 21.
read more
NUS Student Yin Zi Qin Gets Away With 'Light Punishment' in Girlfriend Strangling Case
Yin Zi Qin, a student of dentistry in the National University of Singapore (NUS), has been suspended from the university and given short-term detention by the court for strangling and injuring his ex-girlfriend. Angry netizens are demanding harsher punishment to Zi Qin and have started a petition in this regard.
The University has stated that Zi Qin is not allowed inside the campus for the time being. The matter cannot be investigated by the university as the incident occurred outside the college campus, it says. "Demand for Expulsion From College, Jail Term". The court gave its verdict in the case, awarding 12 days of short detention to Zi Qin along with attending counseling for five hours and 80 hours of community service in one year. The court opined that there are less chances of the accused repeating the crime.
Netizens are seeing red as they consider both the punishments, by the university as well as by the court, as not sufficient. Demanding a harsher sentence, two online petitions have been started. So far 22,000 people have signed these petitions. The fact that voluntarily causing injury can attract up to two years of jail term along with a fine of $5,000 and in terms of college, expulsion have been taken into consideration by these petitions, explaining that the current sentence is much lighter when considering what the girl had to face.
read more
AWARE Singapore 20 July at 22:52
Like many, we were surprised and disconcerted by the sentence received by Yin Zi Qin for acts of violence against his former partner. We believe that Yin’s sentence was inappropriately light, considering the grave physical harm and psychological trauma he inflicted upon the survivor.
Such a sentence has a detrimental impact on public perceptions of violence against women: indicating to perpetrators that they can get away with a light punishment, and indicating to survivors that the often arduous process of reporting their experience will be unrewarding or even futile. It reflects, yet again, an imbalance between the worth accorded to female survivors and that accorded to male perpetrators. The harm experienced by the former is frequently minimised, while the past record and future potential of the latter is amplified.
The lost potential of the survivor is rarely part of the discourse.
We would like more clarity on how and why this particular decision was made, so that public can understand the implications for future cases. For example, was the choice of a community sentence made by the Attorney-General's Chambers or the Courts?
read more
PAP Women's Wing and Aware express dismay over 'disproportionate' sentence
The People's Action Party (PAP) Women's Wing and Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) have said they are dismayed at the sentence that the National University of Singapore (NUS) student received for trying to strangle his former girlfriend.
The PAP Women's Wing has shared its concerns about the sentencing with the Minister for Home Affairs, "who has committed to look further into the matter".
"The PAP Women's Wing and PAP Women Members of Parliament strongly denounce violence against women. Like many members of the public, we are dismayed that the sentence in this case appears disproportionate to the offence," the PAP Women's Wing said in a statement yesterday.
read more
We want a harsher sentence for NUS Student who strangled ex-girlfriend
Jeraldine Phneah started this petition to All Singaporeans
In May 2019, NUS dental student climbed into his ex-girlfriend's home to beg her not to end the relationship.
When she turned him down, he strangled his ex-girlfriend in her home. He pressed his thumb against her eye, causing it to bleed. The victim blacked out and fainted. When she regained consciousness shortly after, she found herself lying face down on the floor.
The victim's mother called the police. She was taken to hospital with blurred vision. Because of this incident, the victim suffered both physical and psychological harm.
read more
Expulsion from NUS for Yin Zi Qin!
Singapore Singapore started this petition to National University of Singapore.
Sign this appeal for NUS to remove Yin Zi Qin from NUS permanently! A university of higher education should not condone such action by passiveness or inaction, and should hold its students to higher moral standards.
NUS student who climbed into ex-girlfriend's home and strangled her gets short detention and day reporting orders
read more
related:
Spate of NUS molestation cases
Molestation: "2 years' imprisonment is not worth it"
NUS Molester Avoids Jail As He Has “Potential to Excel”
Sexual Harassment Scandal At Singapore's Top University
NUS probes students for alleged stripping
At least 14 NUS undergrads disciplined over risque orientation games
NTU investigating inappropriate student behaviour
Sexualized Freshman Orientations at NUS
"Modesty" and "Outrage of Modesty"
The Upskirt Scourge
Full Monty SG Style
Immodest Anti-Social Behaviours
